


Walking on Knives

by draculard



Category: The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Angst, Background Ariel/Eric, F/F, Ficlet, Homesickness, Hurt/Comfort, Mixes original fairy tale with the Disney movie a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 20:13:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20031673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draculard/pseuds/draculard
Summary: Ursula stole her voice.Vanessa steals her heart.





	Walking on Knives

She tells herself that what she really misses is the sea. She can find it on Eric’s lips when he comes back from sailing  — the taste of salt and foam so strong at first, but fading quickly over the course of a day. And then it’s gone, every trace of it, until he leaves again.

But she can taste it on Vanessa’s lips any time. The sea is part of her; it never leaves.

* * *

Eric touches her thigh and she wants to like it, but all she can feel is knives beneath her skin, pain worming its way up her chest as she tries to smile. 

She wants to like it. 

She does. 

She’s trying. 

But it hurts  — it’s designed to  — there’s no way around it but to smile and silently hope he believes the tightness around her lips is just arousal. 

* * *

Vanessa touches her thigh and it’s like a fresh breath of air. Like cold water breaking over her in waves  — pleasant at first, then so cold it turns her numb and completely erases the buzzing, stinging song of agony in her legs. 

And Vanessa’s lips taste like the sea, and when she kisses her, Ariel feels almost like she’s floating in the water again, letting the current carry her far from shore.

And she doesn’t want to like it.

Of course she doesn’t.

But in spite of everything, Vanessa feels like home.


End file.
